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i know i want more power but am unsure on how to go about it. i think i will attend a few autoXs(i know a tech who at least used to race!)and see if i can pick up a few pointers for cheap.

i stayed up late last night reading all 22 pages about the guy who rebuilt/SC'd his ride mainly in his apt parking lot. big props! even though i dropped my playbook twice(can you say sleepy?) before i finished.

fortunately i'm not dangerous as i have no funds and no expectations of having any

Really it depends on budget, intended use, and the like... Intake/Headers/Exhaust/Software is a good beginning, especially when paired with a 3.46 differential, but the best thing you can do before anything else is make sure your car is completely up-to-date maintenance-wise. I'm talking plugs, oil, tranny/diff fluid, coolant, belts, water pump, t-stat, etc... While you're in there, throw in a Stewart-EMP water pump and UUC/TMS under-drive pulleys, use NGK Laser plugs, and I recommend Redline D4 ATF for transmission and 75w90 for differential (although others like MTF/MT90 for manual trans, for my climate the D4 ATF is perfect).

After doing that, THEN start looking to add power. It just seems pointless to me to try and extract an extra 5hp from an intake if your car is already down 10hp due to worn plugs and such.

That's just my opinion, and I'm not an expert (Rob43 has got quite a bit of knowledge in this area), I've simply tried lots of different stuff with my cars, found what has worked and what hasn't (and probably spent way too much money).

A lightweight flywheel and lighter wheels will be of significant benefit, as you're getting back power your car already makes, not trying to get it to make more. Not to mention, with the wheels, dropping 10-12lbs unsprung weight (if not more) is hugely noticeable, and it affects not just acceleration but also handling and braking. There is really no downside. Underdrive pulleys have the same idea behind them, and a combination of UD Pulleys, LW Flywheel, and LW Wheels will allow other modifications to really "shine".

I wouldn't expect HUGE gains on an M54 (330/325), but it's noticeable. On an M52 (328/323), gains are more noticeable no doubt, as I've seen back-to-back my 328Ci put down quite a bit more gain to the wheels than the same part on a friend's 330 or another friend's Z4 3.0si.

thanks all for your replies. nleksan u wrote clearly thanks bud. i look up your advices parts. i will buy a few day. but i have new problem now my car is in service. my car is get oil consumption. we took down engine. there are %5 blank in cylinders. mechanicer said '' i must get a new piston ring '' if i accept that how would be car ? is it well ? and whats your advices ?

thanks all for your replies. nleksan u wrote clearly thanks bud. i look up your advices parts. i will buy a few day. but i have new problem now my car is in service. my car is get oil consumption. we took down engine. there are %5 blank in cylinders. mechanicer said '' i must get a new piston ring '' if i accept that how would be car ? is it well ? and whats your advices ?

english please and oil consumption? does the 5 % down mean 5% down after doing a compression test on each cylinder? if not it might be a oil leak .. chck out the ofhg and also your valve cover gasket as well your oil pan gasket could be leaking.

u ask engine compression test ? the test seem 10.5 bar for all cylinder. Engine have reduced oil. we opened engine. the cylinders get corrosion %5.thats why i wanna re-build the engine. for example: piston,piston rings,cylinder liners. should i enlarge of piston's size and will it better for me ? how is goetze brand quality ? and whats your advices for brands ? thanks

How many miles do you think the standard NGK platinum plugs last? BMW official recommendation is to change them at 100,000 miles, but others (including I think Rajae of Beisan Systems fame) have said change them every 60K. My car has 155,000 miles, PO changed plus somewhere between 90-100K. I'd be happy to change them myself for $60 (parts + shipping) if that added even 4HP. Heck, I just ordered a Shark Injector for $349 which only promises +4 RWHP (plus some other benefits).

But I don't want to spend $60 now if the plugs are good for another 40K miles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nleksan

After doing that, THEN start looking to add power. It just seems pointless to me to try and extract an extra 5hp from an intake if your car is already down 10hp due to worn plugs and such.

How many miles do you think the standard NGK platinum plugs last? BMW official recommendation is to change them at 100,000 miles, but others (including I think Rajae of Beisan Systems fame) have said change them every 60K. My car has 155,000 miles, PO changed plus somewhere between 90-100K. I'd be happy to change them myself for $60 (parts + shipping) if that added even 4HP. Heck, I just ordered a Shark Injector for $349 which only promises +4 RWHP (plus some other benefits).

But I don't want to spend $60 now if the plugs are good for another 40K miles.

takes 20 minuets to pull 1. do it and inspect take pics and put it up on here and you'll find out if you need to change them or not

OK, here are my spark plugs. Car has 155,000 miles. Previous owner replaced them sometime between 90,000 and 130,000 miles. So these plugs have between 25,000-65,000 on them, most likely 55,000 (PO probably changed at 100,000). Close-ups are of plugs 2/3/4. In 2nd photo, that's 2/3/4 from left to right. In 3rd photo, that's 4/3/2 from left to right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven747

takes 20 minuets to pull 1. do it and inspect take pics and put it up on here and you'll find out if you need to change them or not

OK, here are my spark plugs. Car has 155,000 miles. Previous owner replaced them sometime between 90,000 and 130,000 miles. So these plugs have between 25,000-65,000 on them, most likely 55,000 (PO probably changed at 100,000). Close-ups are of plugs 2/3/4. In 2nd photo, that's 2/3/4 from left to right. In 3rd photo, that's 4/3/2 from left to right.

yeah they look burnt and old. hope your changing them while they are out!.

once you get some fresh new 1's in there I'm sure you will notice some more peppiness just like i did when i did mine